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It appears that last week’s practices were productive for every position group within the Nebraska defense. Plenty of positive vibes to go around after practice Monday.
And look, nobody’s going overboard. This young group has plenty of work to do — defensive coordinator John Papuchis made a point to reemphasize that.
But…
Here’s what Papuchis said about Saturday’s scrimmage: “I thought the energy was better. The enthusiasm was better. The effort was better. But I think that’s all a byproduct of knowing what you’re doing. It’s hard to play fast and enthusiastic when you’re not quite sure what you’re supposed to do. We made a big jump last week, in terms of just our general understanding of the entire defense.”
Some tidbits from Monday’s practice, …
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The way coach Bo Pelini sees it: Every player has his own hurdles to overcome before coming close to reaching his own potential. And Pelini can spot lots and lots of hurdles surfacing this spring.
But that’s a good thing.
“I think we have some young guys who kind of got hit with the realization of the type of hard work, the type of attention to detail that’s required to have success,” Pelini said. ”
That realization comes in a lot of different ways but it affects guys and I think it allows them to keep growing. That’s what’s happening with our team.”
The Huskers wrapped up their 10th practice of the spring Wednesday evening, another session that earned a positive review from the sixth-year …
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The way Nebraska’s top running back reacted to it on Saturday, coach Bo Pelini thought Ameer Abdullah might have sustained a serious injury. So did defensive coordinator John Papuchis.
“It spooked me,” he said. ” He’s a leader. You could feel a little bit of the air come out of the building when that happened. That’s an extremely unique situation.”
But after doctors looked at it, Abdullah merely “tweaked” his knee to a lesser degree than Rex Burkhead (on several occasions) did last year. Abdullah — whom Pelini said “fell wrong” in Saturday’s scrimmage — could return before the end of spring practice, Pelini said, but his tone indicated there wasn’t much need for the junior to do so.
“Let’s face it: Ameer didn’t need …
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Running backs coach Ron Brown almost didn’t want to admit Monday that Ameer Abdullah’s workload will likely be limited this spring. Because there are so many ways the junior I-back can get better.
Brown provided a few examples: 1) How Abdullah utilizes his plant foot in the open field; 2) Pass protection techniques; 3) Carrying out fakes with full commitment; 4) Becoming more dangerous as a check-down receiver.
Abdullah still needs reps, even though he’s proven so much already, according to Brown.
“I know what I have but I also want him to get better,” Brown said. “There’s areas in his game that he wants to improve on.”
(Ball security’s another one. Abdullah fumbled eight times and lost six last year, but he did become …
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Junior running back Braylon Heard has decided to leave Nebraska’s football program, a source close to the situation confirmed to The World-Herald Tuesday afternoon.
Heard is in the process of getting permission from NU to contact other schools, the source said. MyValleySports.com, a Youngstown (Ohio) based website, first reported late Monday night that Heard would transfer to a program “closer to home.”
Heard has yet to respond to texts and calls from The World-Herald.
Coach Bo Pelini told The World-Herald by text Tuesday morning that Heard hadn’t requested a transfer and wasn’t off the team. Asked if there was any update, Pelini texted, “none.”
Heard, expected to be Nebraska’s No. 2 running back behind Ameer Abdullah, ran for 357 yards on 52 carries in …
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Iowa’s lost five straight contests and has struggled to keep games close against some of the Big Ten’s better teams. But the Hawkeyes will give Nebraska their best effort Friday.
That’s what NU graduate assistant Vince Marrow expects anyway.
A typical rivalry matchup. Throw the records out the window, Marrow told a crowd of about 250 Husker fans at the Big Red Breakfast. Forget that the Hawkeyes have been outscored by an average of 20 points in their three conference games against teams with winning league records.
“They’re going to be amped to play,” Marrow said. “It’s going to be a very difficult road game. It’s going to be very competitive.”
Why? Marrow’s spent most of his time this week studying the Iowa defense. Here’s …
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Nebraska finally could enjoy a fourth quarter lead in Big Ten play Saturday, cruising to a convincing 38-14 win over Minnesota.
The Huskers remain in first place in the Big Ten Legends Division (tied with Michigan, but still holding the tiebreaker). Beat Iowa on Friday, and Nebraska will play for a conference title in the league championship game on Dec. 1.
Pelini said his team gave a “complete effort” Saturday, jumping out to a quick 10-0 lead and building from there. Lots of positive vibes from Pelini, the assistant coaches and the players after the Huskers’ fifth-straight win.
Some highlights and notes are below. Plenty more coverage will be up on Omaha.com/BigRed shortly. Stay tuned…
>> Pelini indicated that senior Rex Burkhead still isn’t 100 …
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Nebraska is taking care of business against Minnesota in dominating fashion, finally delivering a complete performance against a Big Ten team.
It hasn’t been perfect, but the Huskers are up 38-0 against an improving six-win team. They jumped on Minnesota early and haven’t looked back. Well done.
Nebraska also avoided a third-quarter letdown after an impressive first half, adding on to its lead. Ameer Abdullah lost a fumble on NU’s first drive after halftime, but Daimion Stafford intercepted a pass on the next play.
Junior Stanley Jean-Baptiste’s pick-six toward the end of the third quarter highlights a shutdown afternoon for the Blackshirts, putting the Huskers up 38-0 with 1:12 left.
A few more observations…
>> Nebraska’s used the quick screen passes out to flat with …
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An uncharacteristically fast start has Nebraska in good position early here at Memorial Stadium. The Huskers scored on their first two possessions, moving the football without much resistance.
It was hard to predict what kind of first-quarter showing you’d get from NU after senior day festivities and a memorable pregame scene.
In case you haven’t heard …
It’s Tom Osborne’s last home football game as a Nebraska employee. So fans in the East Stadium bleachers honored the legendary coach and current athletic director by spelling out “Thanks TO” in a card stunt. After the tunnel walk video recognized Osborne’s achievements, the Memorial Stadium big screen revealed this image: Osborne standing next to Bo Pelini outside the NU locker room. Together, Osborne and Pelini led the
Sophomore Ameer Abdullah is in great physical shape, but coach Ron Brown said his mental toughness is what has allowed him to persevere through the rigors of Big Ten play as NU’s top I-back.
Abdullah isn’t fully healthy, but you wouldn’t know it during the last three weeks — when he’s carried the ball 65 total times, averaging 4.8 yards per attempt. He’s passed the century mark in all three games (against Northwestern, Michigan and Michigan State).
Brown’s been impressed with Abdullah’s character.
“He’s been tremendous,” Brown said. “I’ve appreciated his attitude.”
As Rex Burkhead continues to work back to full strength after suffering a knee injury, Abdullah’s playing time isn’t expect to decrease one bit. And that’s OK, according to Brown. Abdullah can handle …
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